Chapter 29: Edward's Persistence
Before the Briggs Fortress, the Elric brothers stood in the wind and snow, surrounded by several soldiers aiming their rifles at them.
"I am a State Alchemist, not a spy."
Edward explained again, letting out a helpless sigh.
"Don't move. Keep your hands above your head."
A soldier tightened his grip on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.
"Brother, what do we do now?"
Alphonse wasn't afraid of the guns, but he didn't act rashly.
"Let's wait. Their commanding officer should be out soon."
The Elric brothers felt somewhat helpless. The northern soldiers simply wouldn't give them a chance to explain. Even showing the State Alchemist's pocket watch was useless—without an official document from the Central Command, these people refused to believe their identities.
This situation was normal. As a key border stronghold, 'Briggs Fortress' saw countless spies attempting to infiltrate every year, and those pretending to be alchemists were too numerous to count.
Olivier Mira Armstrong walked out from within the fortress. This female general stood at a higher vantage point, scrutinizing the two brothers.
"Who are you?"
Olivier Mira Armstrong's tone was as poor as her current mood.
After verification, Olivier realized that what that man had said might be the truth. If that were the case, war was not far off, and she would not sit idly by.
Hearing Olivier's interrogation from atop the fortress, Edward looked up.
"I am the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. Major Armstrong from Central sent me here to meet with you, General. Please withdraw your guards."
The Major Armstrong Edward mentioned was Olivier Mira Armstrong's younger brother.
"Search them."
Hearing it was her brother who sent them, Olivier Mira Armstrong showed no courtesy.
"We are not criminals."
"Who knows? Anyone can pretend to be a famous person. Besides, a 'demon' has recently appeared in my territory. For all I know, you might be accomplices."
"Demon?"
Edward Elric looked puzzled.
After the search, a silver pocket watch and a letter were handed to Olivier.
"This is the Major's letter of introduction. It proves we are not criminals."
Olivier Mira Armstrong looked at the envelope in her hand. Just from the handwriting on the envelope, she knew it was indeed written by her brother.
"Hmph, it really is from that fool."
As she spoke, Olivier Mira Armstrong tore the letter to shreds without even reading its contents.
"Hey, why don't you read it? It contains information about me and my brother."
"A letter of introduction means nothing to me. I don't need evaluations made by others. I judge people only with my own eyes."
With that, Olivier Mira Armstrong had already torn the letter into pieces.
"Let them in."
The cold wind howled. Just as they were about to enter the fortress, the Elric brothers couldn't help but look up, immediately awed by the magnificent stronghold.
Hundreds of meters of steel-reinforced walls, with traces of ice and snow clinging to them.
"Incredible, so tall... so huge!"
Hearing Edward Elric's exclamation, Olivier Mira Armstrong's eyelids drooped, her expression darkening.
"Scum, move it now, or I'll tear off those antennas on your heads."
The 'antennas' Olivier referred to were the cowlick on Edward's head and the tuft of hair on Alphonse's armor.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Edward truly felt the ferocity of the Northern Queen.
Once inside the fortress, the Elric brothers did not gain their freedom. Instead, they were subjected to a second round of 'interrogation.'
Olivier Mira Armstrong sat across from the two brothers, with hot tea placed before them.
"Do you know the Flame Alchemist?"
Hearing Olivier's question, the two brothers were startled.
Edward nodded, then shook his head.
"We've only met him once. That guy is an explosion maniac. Last time, he blew up a lot of buildings in Central City, and I had to repair them. But for some reason, a few days ago, he was put on the wanted list for killing important military personnel."
After hearing Edward's description, Olivier Mira Armstrong lowered her head in thought.
The intelligence she had obtained matched Edward's account. Su Xiao had killed an important military figure and was subsequently wanted.
If she remembered correctly, that so-called important figure was just a colonel with no real power, and he had no connection to the Flame Alchemist whatsoever.
The information provided by the military was riddled with inconsistencies. Combined with the Central Command's recent actions, Olivier clearly sensed something was wrong.
"Let's set that aside for now. I need you two to explain why you came directly to me without going through the Command Headquarters, and also the secret behind your brother's hollow armor."
The Elric brothers exchanged glances.
"Well... if we reveal that, we might end up in a military court..."
Before Edward could finish, Olivier suddenly interrupted.
"Is it about the Philosopher's Stone and the Homunculi?"
Olivier only mentioned two keywords, avoiding the full terms 'Philosopher's Stone' and 'Homunculi' so as not to leave any incriminating evidence.
"How do you know that!"
Edward shot up from his seat.
"So that guy wasn't lying. Not good. Very not good."
Seeing Olivier's reaction, the Elric brothers were stunned.
"Shorty, spill everything you know right now!"
Olivier stared coldly at Edward.
"Who are you calling shorty!"
"You, the shorty with the antenna. You have five minutes to explain. And let me tell you, Central City's laws are useless here."
A group of soldiers rushed into the room, dozens of gun barrels aimed at the two brothers.
"You..."
"Don't think I'm bluffing. This is the Northwest. Death is a daily occurrence, even for State Alchemists. For the sake of my tens of thousands of subordinates, I can bear this responsibility."
"Tens of thousands of subordinates' lives?"
Edward was bewildered. He suddenly felt that this female general might know more than he did.
After hesitating for a moment, Edward told her everything he could.
Ten minutes later, Olivier stared at the ground beneath her feet as the soldiers in the room filed out one by one.
"Do you have any evidence that what you're saying is true?"
Olivier's question left the two brothers speechless.
"Not for now, but the Philosopher's Stone and the Homunculi do exist. I've seen them with my own eyes."
"I believe in the Philosopher's Stone because I've actually seen one. As for the Homunculi..."
Su Xiao had once given Olivier a tiny piece of the Philosopher's Stone, smaller than a grain of rice.
Olivier took out the Philosopher's Stone, and the Elric brothers felt their scalps tingle at the sight of it.
"Did you create this?"
Edward had already assumed a combat stance.
"No, it was given to me by someone else."
"Where is that person?"
Edward's breathing became noticeably heavier. This tiny piece of the Philosopher's Stone must have cost countless lives.
"You don't need to know. Right now, you just need to confirm whether this is a Philosopher's Stone. Is it really that miraculous?"
"This is a Philosopher's Stone."
Receiving Edward's clear confirmation, Olivier took a deep breath.
"Demonstrate it. Let me see how it bypasses the law of equivalent exchange."
"No! I will never use this thing. Its creation material is human lives. I will never use it."